Wireworking machine



.April 1 1924. 1,488,980

. w. L. FODREA WIREWORKING MACHINE Filed Nov. 5.

April 1 1924. 1,488,980

w. FODREA WIREWORKING' MACHINE Filed Nov. 5. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A5 W mm, 9

A ril 1 1924.

. w. L. FQDREA WIREWORKING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet :Filed Nov. 5,

fitter neg Patented Apr. 1, 1924.

1,488,980 PATENT JOFFI'CE.

WILLIAM L'ORA'N FODREA, 0F LITTLE *ROCK,' .ARVK. ANSAS.

'WIREWORKING. MACHINE.

- Application file'dNovemherfi, 1922. Serial No.i598,785.

vision of a machine for twisting two or more pieces of wireto form wire fabric.

In the form of the invention disclosed, I provide a pair of gears, one of which is multilated and provided with means for grasping the wires, and .means for intermittently rotating said gears to twist two pieces of wire held by said mutilated gear. 8

I furtheriprovide a guide through which the wires are adapted to pass, means for lowering said gears to permit the mutilated gear tograsp the wires, and means for rotating said gears while lowered.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a casing in whichthe gears are mounted,

Figure 3 is vertical longitudinal sectional view through the casing, showing the gears in one position,

Figure 1 is a similar view showing the gears in a second position,

-Figure 5 1s a hor1zontal sectional view on line 55 of Figure 3,

Figure-6 is a Similar view on line 6-6 of Figure 3,

Figure 7 is a detail view of a cam for raising and lowering the gears,

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view showing a plurality ofthe mac-hinesemployed in the construction of wire fabric,

Figure 9 is a view of a finishedpiece of fabric.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a wire fence showing the manner in which the fence, posts are inserted, and

Figure 11 is a detail sectional view on line 1111 of Figure .1.

Referring to'the drawings, the reference numeral 1 designates a standard having a pairpflbearings 2, adapted to receive ashaft 3. The shaft is provided with a collar 4: and a coil spring 5 is arranged between this collar and the.lower bearing to normally retain the shaft in raised position, A plate 6 is secured to the bottom of the shaft and a'casing 7 issecured to this plate. As;

shown, the casing is provided with side walls 8 and front and rear walls 9, the bottom of the casing being open. The bottom of the side walls of the casing are provided with inclined cut-away portions 10, forming a. guide for the wire to be twisted.

A gear 11 is mounted on a shaft 12, ar-

ranged in the upper part of the casing, and

this shaft projects through the walls of the casing (see Figure .1). A lower gear .13 is arranged in the casing and is adapted to mesh with the gear l1. Asshown, thelower gear is provided with a mutilated or cutoutportion 1-1. A pin 15 is arranged centrally ofthe cut-out portion 14, and the outer end of the pin is arranged inthe are described by the gear forminga tooth Suitable guide means for the wire are arranged below the normal position of the casing. are arranged on opposite sides of the casing, and similar bars 17 are arranged beneath these bars and slightly spaced therefrom.

Vire strands 18 are delivered through the space between the bars.

* The casing is adapted to be lowered by means of a cam 19, mounted on a shaft 20. The shaft 20 'is mounted in a bearing 21 in .the frame of the machine and isdrive-n in any suitable manner. As shown, the low portion 22 of the cam is flat throughout. a considerable distance,'so that the casingwill be retained in lowered position for a relatively long period of time. The shaft 3 is provided with a roller 23 on its upper end, adapted to engage the cam. The gears are adapted to be rotated when in lowered position to'twist the wire afterit has been engaged by the pin 15. A gear wheel 24: is mounted on shaft 20. This gear is provided withteeth 25, extending throughouta portion of its periphery, and is-provided with a smooth'portion26. A pinion 27 is adapted to mesh with thls gear. This pinion is provided with teeth 28. and is further provided with .an interruptedportion .29, As shown, the portion 29 is arranged on an aroparallel to the surface 26 of the gear 2 1. The pinion is mounted on a shaft The shaft isreceived in a bearing 34 and is provided As shown, a pairof upper bars 16 with collars 35, arranged above and below the bearing. A sleeve 36 is mounted on this shaft and revolves therewith, the sleeve being capable of longitudinal movement on the shaft and being secured thereto by a key 37. The upper gear shaft 12 is provided with a bevel gear 38, adapted to mesh with a bevel gear 39, carried by the sleeve. As shown, the sleeve is received in abearing 40, carried by the plate 6, and a collar 41 is arranged on the sleeve above this plate. The bevel gear 39 is provided with a hub 42 which contacts with the lower face of the bearing.

In Figure 8 of the drawings, I have diagrammatically shown a number of the machines used for the purpose of constructing a relatively large piece of wire fabric. As shown, the wires 18 are formed in pairs and are delivered to a plurality of machines .A arranged in a transverse row. The wires passing through the machines A are twisted and the adjacent wires of each pair are then brought together as indicated by the sections or strands 43. passed through a second battery of machines B, arranged in staggered relation to the machines A and after being twisted, the

'wires are fed through the machines a distance equal to the major axis of the diamond sections formed. If desired, the loops 44 may be preformed in the wires to indicate proper distance the wire is to be fed each time.

In Figure 9 of the drawings, I have shown a finished sheet of fabric consisting of straight end wires 45, and diagonal wires 46.. WVhere the wires intersect, they are provided with twisted portions 47 having loops 48 arranged centrally thereof. These loops are formed by the portion of the wire surrounding the pin, as shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings. lVhen the wire is delivered from the machine, the loops are arranged in the plane of the fabric. If the wire is to be employed as fence wire, the

loops may be twisted to a position at right angles to the plane of the fabric, as indicated at 49 in Figure 10 of the drawings,

7 and a suitable post-50 passed through the alined loops.

The operation of the device will be apparent from the foregoing description. The

machine is driven through shaft 20. The gear casing is normally retained in raised position by the spring 5 and upon each revolution of the shaft 20, the low portion 22 of the cam engages roller 23 and forces the gear casing downwardly against the tension of the spring. As the gear casing lowers,the wire strands 18 engage the inclined wallslO at the bottom of the gear casing and are fed upwardly to a position on opposite sides of the pin 15. During this port1on of the operation, the pin is in the po- These strands are then i 'all times by prov ding the sleeve 36, slidsition shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. Due to the relatively large fiat surface 22 formed on the cam, the casing is retained in lowered position for a considerable period of time. NVhile the casing is in lowered position, the. teeth 25 of the gear 24 engage the teeth 28 of pinion 27 to rotate the shaft 33, and thus rotate gears 11 and 13. As the gears are rotated, the end of the pin 15 serves as a tooth, as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, and a complete revolution of the gears takes place while the teeth 25 and 28 are in mesh. This forms the twist 4'! shown in Figure 9 of the drawings. When the low portion 22 of the cam is about to disengage the roller 23, the gears have completed a revolution and are again in the position shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. This permits the wire to pass olf the end of the pin as the casing is moved upwardly within the guides 16 and 17 and the wires may then be fed through the guides the desired distance before another twist is formed.

The gears 38 and 39 are kept in mesh at ably mounted on the shaft 83. 'This sleeve is supported in the bearing 40, which is carried by the plate 6 and thus raises and the lower face of the bearing keeps them in mesh when moving downwardly.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention. I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a guide for receiving strands of wire, a twisting member normally disposed above said guide, means for reciprocating said twisting. member through said guide, and

-means for actuating said twisting member when it is within said guide to twist strands of wire.

2. In a device of the character described, a guide for receiving strands of wire, a pair of gears normally disposed above said guide, one of said gears being provided with means for receiving said wires and twisting them when the gears are rotated, means for reciprocating said gears through said guide, and means forrotating said gears when they are in lowered position.

3. In a device of the character described, a guide adapted to receive strands of wire. a pair of gears disposed adjacent said guide, one of said gears being provided with a projecting pin adapted to engage said strands of wire and twist them when the gears are rotated, means for reciprocating said gears through said guide, and means for rotating said gears.

4. In a device of the character described, a guide for receiving strands of wire, a pair of gears, means for reciprocating said gears through said guide, one of said gears being mutilated and provided with apin in said mutilated portion, said pin being adapted toengage said strands of wire when the gears are passed through said guide, and means for rotating said gears to twist the strands of wire engaged by said pin.

5. In a device of the character described, a guide, a pair of gears disposed adjacent said guide, a cam adapted to reciprocate said gears through said guide, one of said gears being mutilated, a pin arranged in the mutilated portion of said gear to engage said strands of wire when the gear passes through said guide, and means for rotating said gears to twist said strands of wire.

6. In a device of the character described, a main shaft, a cam mounted on said shaft, a reciprocating member engaging said cam, a pair of gears carried by said reciprocating member, one of said gears being provided vith means for engaging strands of wire, a guide disposed adjacent said gears and adapted to receive strands of wire to be engaged by said means when said gears are reciprocated, gearing connecting said gears to said main shaft to rotate them, and means for retaining said gearing in mesh during the reciprocation of said reciprocating memher.

7. In a device of the character described, a main shaft, a cam mounted on said main shaft, a reciprocating member engaging said cam, a pair of gears carried by said reciprocating member, one of said gears being mutilated and provided with a pin arranged in said mutilated portion and adapted to form a tooth, said pin being adapted to engage strands of wire to twist them when the mutilated gear is rotated, a guide disposed adjacent said gears, said mutilated gear being adapted to pass through said guide to permit said pin to engage strands of wire arranged in said guide, and means for intermittently rotating said gears, said means including a pair of segmental gears, one of said gears being mounted on said main shaft, the other gear being mounted on an auxiliary shaft, and connections between said auxiliary shaft and said first pair of gears.

8. In a device of the character described, a main shaft, a cam mounted on said shaft, a reciprocating member engaging said cam,

.a casing carried by said member, a pair of gears mounted in said casing, .one of said gears being mutilated and being provided with a pin arranged in the mutilated portion, said pin being adapted to engage strands of wire to twist them, a guide disposed adjacent said casing and adapted to receive strands of wire to be twisted,

one of the gears in said casing being provided with a shaft projecting beyond said casing, a counter-shaft connected to said main shaft to intermittently rotate it, a sleeve slidably mounted on said countershaft and adapted to rotate therewith, a gear carried by said sleeve, and a gear mounted on said projecting shaft andv meshing therewith.

9. A device constructed in accordance with claim 9, wherein the means for intermittently rotating said counter-shaft comprises a pair of segmental gears, one of said gears being arranged on said main shaft, and the other on said counter-shaft.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signa ture in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM LORAN FODREA.

Vitnesses J. A. NIoHoLs, SAMUEL R. Lrons. 

